Munich. BMW M Team WRT has a score to settle with the Bathurst
12 Hour (AUS) – and is back in 2024 for a second shot at victory
with the BMW M4 GT3. The Belgian team competes at the opening round
of this season’s Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC), at the iconic
Mount Panorama Circuit, with two cars and six BMW M works drivers.
Valentino Rossi (ITA) is back in Australia, one year after making
his debut there. Joining him behind the wheel will be Raffaele
Marciello (SUI), for whom this will be his first race in BMW M
Motorsport colours.
Roughly one year ago, BMW M Team WRT’s first race as an official
works team ended with fourth and sixth place. A solid start, but not
what the ambitious team from Belgium had hoped for. They now have
another chance to challenge for victory with the BMW M4 GT3 at the
legendary 12-hour race at Bathurst. Boosting their chances of success
are two strong crews of BMW M works drivers.
Sharing the driving duties in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 are Sheldon van der
Linde (RSA), Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL). The same
trio came home fourth in 2023, narrowly missing out on the podium. In
the #46 BMW M4 GT3, Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin (BEL) are
another established duo. New to the team is Raffaele Marciello, who
will be racing for BMW M Motorsport for the first time at Bathurst.
Quotes:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The
Bathurst 12 Hour is a spectacular event to start the year with, and we
are delighted to field another strong line-up in Australia in 2024.
Together with BMW M Team WRT, we enjoyed many fantastic successes in
our first season. Unfortunately, we were denied a Bathurst podium. We
obviously want to make amends for that this time. With our driver
line-up, I believe we are in an excellent position to enjoy a strong
race. I am particularly looking forward to seeing Raffaele Marciello
in a BMW M4 GT3 for the first time.”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “What
an event to kick off our second season with BMW M Motorsport! We are
very much looking forward to returning to Bathurst; this will be our
third start there. After taking victory on our debut, we were
unfortunately unable to challenge for first place again last year. We
are now back for another shot with a fantastic squad of drivers.”
Raffaele Marciello (#46 BMW M4 GT3): “Bathurst is a
very special place for me – the perfect first race with BMW M
Motorsport. I love the circuit and have come very close to winning on
a few occasions. Unfortunately, it has never quite worked out so far.
However, I believe I have a good chance to change all that this year
with BMW M Team WRT. WRT is one of the best teams in the world, and my
team-mates Maxime and Valentino are extremely quick. Sharing the car
with Vale is very special for me. I watched him in MotoGP when I was a kid.”
